Outdoor Adventures

The best part about living in or visiting the Coachella Valley is ability to enjoy the outdoors most of the year.

Whether you’re looking for recreation, exercise, adventure, or all three, there are so many options for you and your family to experience the outdoors in the greater Palm Springs area! If you know where you want to explore click on the city name below, or scroll the list to find your next outdoor adventure!

I do my best to keep this list updated, but occasionally outdoor areas and venues will be closed for maintenance or due to weather damage, please check with the venue or organization to verify before heading out.

Cathedral City

Indio

Palm Desert

Palm Springs

Rancho Mirage

Cathedral City

Two golf putters, one with a silver head and the other with a gray head, lying on green artificial grass, along with two golf balls, one with the TaylorMade logo and a red heart, and the other with a green logo and the word CHIPOUT.

Boomers
67-700 E Palm Canyon Dr.
Cathedral City, CA 92234

Have fun miniature golfing, riding bumper boats and go karts, climbing the rock wall, playing some arcade games, or testing your skills at the batting cages.

*FFCV Recommendation - Miniature golf, and boat rides (with an adult) are fun for all ages, all other attractions are best for school age kids.

Indio

Coachella Valley History Museum
82616 Miles Ave.
Indio, CA 92201

Experience the history of the Coachella Valley by exploring Pioneer Hall, a 1909 Indio Schoolhouse, The California Date Museum, Japanese Memorial Gardens, and other permanent and rotating exhibits in the Smiley-Tyler house.

Palm Desert

Two giraffes in a zoo enclosure under green trees with a mountain background and a clear blue sky.

Living Desert Zoo & Gardens
47900 Portola Ave
Palm Desert, CA 92260

Experience more than 450 animals and desert plants from desert ecosystems from around the world. Families will love feeding the giraffes, learning how the animals are cared for, riding the endangered species carousel, and cooling off at the oasis splash pad.

*The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens is a Certified Autism Center.

Palm Desert Aquatic Center (CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS)
73751 Magnesia Falls Dr.
Palm Desert, CA 92260

Great for all ages and swimming abilities! Lap swimming, zero depth pool, splash playground, waterslides, diving boards, a rock climbing wall, rope swing, and water obstacle course. (Open Spring through Fall)

*Phased re-opening beginning April 2026.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
1 Tram Way
Palm Springs, CA 92261

Enjoy beautiful views while you take a ride on a rotating tram car up to an elevation of 8,516 feet at Mountain Station. At the top of the mountain there are hiking trails, options for dining, a natural history museum, and observation decks to enjoy the beautiful views.

Palm Springs Surf Club
1500 S Gene Autry Trail
Palm Springs, CA 92264

Enjoy the lazy river, waterslides, or relax by the pool at the waterpark; book a surf session; or dine at one of the clubs restaurants. (Waterpark open Spring through Fall)

Prescott Preserve
S Farrell Rd. between Ramon Rd. & Mesquite Ave.
RF5J+XM7
Palm Springs, CA 92264

A protected preserve in the middle of Palm Springs offers a great walk for all ages. Flat, wide trails, with easy access. A chance to see lizards, squirrels, birds, bunnies, turtles, and water foul. Certain parts of the trail allow bikes and dogs on leash.

Rancho Mirage

A desert garden with several large, round cactus plants and smaller succulents, surrounded by trees and a sandy pathway, with a person sitting on a bench in the background.

Sunnylands
37977 Bob Hope Dr.
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

Visit the historic property and former home of Ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg. View the current exhibition, explore the gardens with a self-guided audio walk, bring your binoculars to check out the birds, or learn about the property in a 20 minute information film. (Open mid-September through early June)